Asking a Phuket resident about their “previous life” hardly raises an eyebrow. Moving to Thailand often entails a life-changing experience, including complete career overhauls. A decades-long history of success can be effortlessly left behind, replaced by a once-hobby or side hustle. The land of smiles thrives on surprising changes and discoveries.

Alexander Nakhapetov is renowned in Phuket as the leading event planner and the visionary behind some of the most dazzling concerts, weddings, and corporate events orchestrated by Art of Events Entertainment. If the name doesn’t immediately ring a bell, titles like “The Swan Lake” and “The Nutcracker” surely will. These unprecedented ballet shows on Phuket’s shores stand out as some of Alexander’s recent triumphs.

About five years ago, Alexander and Julia Nakhapetov embarked on the mission of bringing celebrities to Phuket, on the scale of a Super Bowl halftime show. While the couple may not have the Super Bowl in their home country of Russia, they refer to these concerts as “stadium-sized.” We sat down with Alexander to delve into the past, present, and future of Art of Events.

“After graduating from a university in St. Petersburg, I pursued a corporate career in several top Russian companies and later launched a couple of my own businesses. All those were just jobs, while my personal life since college has included a lot of socializing, going out to clubs, and throwing parties with friends. These were things for pleasure rather than for money and had nothing to do with concert or event planning until some friends asked for help in organizing a really big fashion show with Christian Lacroix and Christian Dior masterpieces at the National Congress Palace. The event was a huge success, and this was when a new chapter of my story started,” Alexander recalls.

Mr. Nakhapetov first visited Thailand in 2010, much like thousands of other winter birds escaping the cold. Evading the chill, he continued organizing events for Russian corporate clients, ranging from Zenit Football Club to Gazprom.

“I first made a trip to Samui and the next year I tried Phuket. The latter charmed me so much that I stayed for the whole winter and then kept returning every year, increasing the length of my stay until settling down completely in 2012,” Alexander says.

It was Alexander’s spouse, Julia, who suggested doing events in Phuket rather than from Phuket. The couple began setting up weddings, which still remain one of Art of Events’ major businesses.

“We kept doing more and more events in Phuket, exciting foreign visitors with beautiful experiences, and investing all the earnings back into the business, evolving into leaders in this market.

Since 2016, we have been operating under the Art of Events brand, which is not limited to weddings. Now we lead the way in all sorts of exclusive events, both private and public. Art of Events is your one-stop-shop to have a celebrity-featuring concert or a business incentive in Southeast Asia, as we try to promote the development of MICE tourism in the region,” Alexander says.

The COVID-19 pandemic hit all Phuket businesses, some of which never recovered. In contrast, the comeback of Art of Events was nothing short of epic, as the 2022-2023 festive season saw a truly unprecedented number of concerts held in Phuket and organized by Alexander and Julia. Now they’ve raised the bar even higher.

“This year is absolutely record-breaking in both quantity and quality. The stars performing in Phuket this season would be regulars in London, but are absolutely unique for Phuket. From Mumiy Troll and Zemfira to Boris Grebenshchikov and other stars I cannot yet reveal – stay tuned for updates.

This year’s concerts were a huge success, so we are looking forward to entering Bangkok’s stage with some very big international events. To be precise, we’ve already jumped into this adventure with “The Swan Lake” and “The Nutcracker” held in both Phuket and Bangkok. And we are specifically proud to be the first ones to bring such events to Southern Thailand,” Alexander reveals.

For an event organizer with 20 years of experience, show-business and communication with international celebrities are exciting but not as dramatic as Hollywood movies portray.

“A concert announcement comes as a surprise for the audience, while for the organizer, long-term planning is key. As Phuket only rings in 2024, we already have events lined up for as far as 2028.

Viewed from within, cooking up an event is an orchestrated team effort: we book a celebrity, we book a venue, and we arrange everything according to the performer’s rider, both technical requirements and lifestyle preferences.

Setting up an event featuring a superstar is quite a challenge. Even more so in Phuket as the choice of venues is limited. We have considered inviting one of the world’s singing icons, but could not find where to hold the concert on the island. A local star means an audience of 3,000-5,000 people, while for a global star, you should start with 10,000-15,000 to make it happen.

The lack of big venues is Phuket’s main restriction. Let me jump the gun before you ask: yes, we are thinking of building an arena for concerts,” Alexander says.

Mr. Nakhapetov assures that he has yet to meet a celebrity that would be too difficult to deal with. Impossible is nothing, so Art of Events is now working on a new milestone – bringing American superstars to Thailand.

“We view every event as unique and do our best to make it as satisfying as we can. A dream night is a sold-out night, as it is a clear indicator that you’ve done something people truly wanted. Seeing the audience happy, seeing the singer happy – this is what a dream concert is,” says Alexander.

As Phuket’s leading event planner, the Art of Event team can create a tailored dream concert for a special private occasion, a family or a corporate one.

“We arrange a wide variety of exclusive events for the most discerning clients, including those seen on the Forbes lists. I wish I could reveal a couple of names, but this is strictly confidential; even our team sometimes is not fully aware of the details for the sake of privacy.

Attention to small touches and the overall atmosphere are as crucial as privacy. Stage set design, production, costumes, and décor are all treated with the utmost attention. Small details make a big, unique experience,” Alexander explains.

Clients may contribute to challenges with their one-of-a-kind requests. Mr. Nakhapetov recalls the quest for… elephant-friendly body paint for an event centered around a pink pachyderm. In short, such beauty products for elephants do exist, and you can have it painted pink without any trouble for the gentle giant.

“Show-business is no different from other businesses. The key to success is working hard and implementing a systems-based approach. Apparently, working in a foreign country requires language skills, and this is what I would love to thank my parents for. As a school kid, I traveled to the USA and studied there for about a year, which resulted in near-impeccable English. As for business… Business is business regardless of where you do it. Doing it honestly is what makes the difference,” Mr. Nakhapetov concludes.